CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2015
| Author | Bebes, Árpád |
|---|---|
| Title | Royals on the road. A Comparative study of the travel patterns of two Hungarian kings Sigismund of Luxemburg and Matthias Corvinus |
| Summary | This thesis compares the travel patterns of two Hungarian kings in the Middle Ages, Sigismund of Luxemburg (1387-1437) and Matthias Corvinus, based on their compiled itineraries. Norbert C. Tóth, and Matthias Horváth and several other authors before them have tried to compile the itineraries of medieval kings and follow their movements, using their charters. Itineraries are useful tools in aid of the historical research; especially with recent and ongoing research and the digitization of many charters. Although each king’s life and times has been analyzed in its own context by many scholars, comparing their travel patterns was the aim of this study. As an important factor, this paper also focuses on visual representations (such as maps and tables) which were made based on the most recently compiled itineraries of the kings. Here the separate journeys are grouped into different geographical areas and route options and analyzed separately. This allows comparing these areas and routes and discovering their differences and similarities. The conclusion is, firstly, the highest frequency of appearances was in Buda in both case, which already marks its importance at the time. Secondly, many of the most frequented settlements are on the northwest, which suggests that the diplomatic orientation of both kings was there. Thirdly, although towns and places on the southern side of the kingdom were “scarcely” frequented, numerous journeys led to the south, mostly in the form of military campaigns against the Ottomans. From the three regions Transdanubia shows little difference between the kings (as in Matthias used the roads there in his last 10 years). The Great Plain shows the most differences between the kings because the importance of Oradea and Timișoara dropped heavily after Sigismund and the town of Szeged emerged as a staging point. Lastly, Transylvania shows almost no differences in route choices (just that Sigismund travelled there more, but his longer reign could explain that). The road system there seems to have allowed limited options for the kings’ travels. |
| Supervisor | Nagy, Balázs; Laszlovszky, József |
| Department | Medieval Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2015/bebes_arpad.pdf |
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